


here by you i'll always stand

by cathlynewrites



Category: The Worst Witch (TV 2017)
Genre: F/F, just a thing that came to me, please no flames i love you all, small hicsqueak
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-21
Updated: 2020-07-21
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:48:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25421152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cathlynewrites/pseuds/cathlynewrites
Summary: “Hiccup, hurry. It’s way past lights out and you need to be back in your room safe before Mistress Broomhead catches y—” Suddenly, the heavy wooden door swung open, and in the dimming lantern light the girls could make out only the silhouette of their formidable teacher.or, teen hicsqueak where hecate is caught out making an illicit potion and pippa is a protective smol
Relationships: Hardbroom/Pentangle (Worst Witch), Hecate Hardbroom/Pippa Pentangle
Comments: 4
Kudos: 26





	here by you i'll always stand

“Hiccup, by the Great Wizard, are you out of your mind?” hissed Pippa. Hecate said nothing, concentrating on the cauldron before her. The workbench was strewn with ingredients carefully taken and measured to the last pinch. “What if we get caught? It could get you expelled.” 

Hecate's voice was tight as she threw in two sprigs of aconite. “We won’t get caught. And even if we do, it wouldn’t be your fault unless you snitched. And I need this, Pippa. You of all people know best why I do.” She had projected a screen onto the wall of the potions lab, showing the full detailed instructions and ingredient list for a Wide-Awake potion, extremely difficult to brew and requiring intensely precise spellwork, not to mention all the potent ingredients needed. One wrong step, and Pippa shuddered to think of the consequences. 

For a while, the potions lab was silent except for the sound of Pippa’s slow pacing and the grinding of pestle on mortar. “Six fangs of snake…” Hecate murmured, pouring the powder into the simmering mixture and stirring it in with a wooden spoon. With a hiss, the potion turned the desired pale colour. Satisfied, hecate strained and bottled the liquid, shrinking the vial and pocketing it. The pocket watch that hung around Hecate’s neck ticked rhythmically, and at a glance Pippa knew they were breaking more school rules that night than the whole of their lives at school  _ combined _ . 

“Hiccup, hurry. It’s way past lights out and you need to be back in your room safe before Mistress Broomhead catches y—” Suddenly, the heavy wooden door swung open, and in the dimming lantern light the girls could make out only the silhouette of their formidable teacher. From where Pippa stood by the wall of the lab, she could see Hecate’s frozen shape, stiff with fear of Broomhead and her infamous punishments. 

“Out after lights out? Wandering the corridors? Sneaking into the potions lab to brew an illicit potion, not only  _ extremely potent _ and  _ difficult to brew _ but also a potential  _ safety hazard to the whole school _ ? Not to mention  _ stealing from my private stores _ ?” Broomhead loomed over Hecate, her fingers crackling with white light. Pippa dreaded to think what it would do to her best friend. 

Hecate looked resigned. Pippa knew this look on her face, when she knows she should expect pain and not finding it in her to wish that it would be over quickly. She had an ominous feeling of what would happen next and before she really processed what was going on, had rushed out into the faint lamplight to shield Hecate bodily. she heard Hecate’s sharp intake of air at her actions but steamrolled on in the face of her tutor’s threat.

“Miss Broomhead, please. Don’t hurt her. She needed this because—” Pippa halted. she knew that bringing emotions into the conversation would not bode well with Mistress Broomhead. Her quick mind worked at top speed to come up with an explanation. “—her father just passed and she needs to observe the proper mourning rites like he wished. ” This wasn’t a lie, she knew. Just that Hecate’s father had passed two years before and her rites had long since ended. Broomhead seemed unconvinced, and Pippa realised she had left one factor unexplained.    
“I saw her brew it, I know it’s safe. i can test it.” Behind her, Hecate gasped. she was taking a huge risk offering to test this particular brew, especially knowing the dangers should it have gone wrong. Pippa had full confidence in hecate’s abilities, however, and knew that every potion she’d ever brewed was of the best quality. She stared determinedly at Broomhead, ignoring Hecate’s shocked expression with a firm resolve. 

A smirk crossed Broomhead’s features. “Very well, if you have  _ so much _ faith in Hecate Hardbroom’s abilities, a mere  _ student _ no less and not the  _ practiced potioneer _ required to brew Wide-Awake potion,” she summoned the cauldron, where a few drops of pale liquid still remained. “Then you may test it. I, however, will not be held accountable if anything were to happen to you.” A sliver of slyness flitted across Broomhead’s face—she clearly wanted something to happen to Pippa, enough to devastate Hecate and bring the girls before the magic council, rightful punishment for going against her. 

Pippa lifted the wooden spoon to her lips. Though she knew she had really brewed it to utter perfection, Hecate couldn’t stop her eyes widening at the sight. A drop of the potion fell to pippa’s tongue and she put the spoon down. Even Broomhead could sense the renewed energy that came with it. Grudgingly, she left with a stern warning and detentions for both girls. 

Pippa was radiant. “We did it, Hiccup! We did it!” Hecate felt a pang at her free usage of the word  _ we _ , when all  _ she _ had done was get her into unnecessary trouble. “You…” It was rare that Hecate Hardbroom was lost for words, as she was then. “You shouldn’t have done that for me. You should have left when you had the chance. She didn’t see you against the wall.”

“What, and leave you to her torture?” Pippa was indignant. “Hiccup, you of all people should know that i would never,  _ ever _ do that to you.” Hecate stiffened. 

“I deserved it.” Before she knew it Pippa had crossed the length of the room to get to Hecate, taking her by the shoulders and shaking her. “Hecate Hardbroom don’t you _dare_ say that. _no one_ _deserves_ the likes of _Mistress Broomhead_. Especially not you. Merlin, when will you ever let yourself _deserve_ help?” 

“A witch—”

“Takes responsibility, Hiccup, I know. But needing help once a while doesn’t constitute irresponsibility. You weren’t doing something  _ wrong _ . I was just worried before about what would happen to you if you got into a scrape tonight which was why I was being such a wet blanket just now. I’m sorry if I made you feel bad.” There was a sincere glint in Pippa’s eyes and Hecate knew the blonde witch meant what she said. “Well done on the flavoring. Wide-Awake potion tastes  _ foul _ , but yours was really nice. Too bad I didn't get to tell Broomhead that before she ran off.” Hecate blushed. 

“Honey mixed with fresh lavender sprigs. Lavender has calming effects so it’s supposed to make it less potent. I added the honey of my own accord.” 

“See, Hiccup? We should take Broomhead’s ‘not an experienced potioneer’ and shove it up that self-sufficient ar—”    
“Language, Pippa!”

Pippa chuckled at Hecate’s mortified expression. 

“Well, I hope you don’t use the potion tonight,” she whispered. “After all this you’d think all a witch needs is a good night’s sleep.” Pippa winks at Hecate and the dark-haired witch flushes.

“I…” She gives up trying to form coherent thoughts and settles for “thank you”. 

As they go their separate ways in the fourth year corridor, Pippa acts on instinct and gives Hecate a quick peck on the cheek before running off to her room, leaving her best friend stunned. Had she stayed a little longer, she’d have seen Hecate press two fingers to the gloss mark Pippa left and whisper softly:

“Thank you for everything, Pipsqueak.”

**Author's Note:**

> ingredients were not specified in the series, so i took the ingredient list of the harry potter series’s wideye potion. changed up the process so the aconite went first. also, if someone could explain to me what on earth standard ingredient is, i’d be grateful. 
> 
> i wrote this on a whim and some parts are probably kinda unclear idk honestly, please do tell me how you found it <3 drop me a comment below or find me on tumblr @kittycaths
> 
> credits to @242megxxx for the lavender honey!! 
> 
> xx cath


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